Allison engine also was a holdover from when the British Purchasing Commision asked North American Aviation to build the Curtiss P-40 under license.
NAA said they had a better idea. British said they needed fighters, quickly.
NAA built the prototype in something like 114 days. Thats from nothing but ideas and a little research to a finished airframe.
Think that was Sept 9 1940 it was completed IIRC.
Engine arrived a little later and the 1st flight was Oct 25 of 40.

I get to be partial on this one-

Recip: Bomber - A-26
Fighter - P-38

Jet: Bomber - B-58
Fighter - Jury is still out

Watched this one while waiting to depart from Greenville SC last year.

Chatted with a friend that flew A-10s. Mentioned the A1-E to him and he said they basically held the same payload but the A-10 was 100 knots faster and had a bigger gun

A former co worker in AZ is doing a static restoration on an A-7 that launched #3 on the 1st Air Strike Mission of the Gulf War. It fired the device that makes it look like multiple targets as #1 of the formation. This caused the radars in Baghdad to light up to lock on it. #2 and #3 then locked on the radars and took them out paving the way for the F-117s.
When he's done it'll go to Cavanagh Museum in TX.

This One-
https://www.facebook.com/fightingclassi ... 0325802951

A-10 for me as well.

I've learned that ugly but functional wins over the long haul

Bob

Just saw this really cool B-25. (Nose art included, but not live model.)

Got my SIC rating in the 25 several years ago and really enjoyed it. Then Pacific Prowler moved, so I haven't been able to fly it since.
I'm on the rights. Other fella was going through the SIC training at the same time.

I'm always surprised over the discussion of the Corsair vs the Mustang . . .

I've included a Navy test between the two in 1943 [url]
Comparison Trials of P-51B and F4U-1 Airplanes.
U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, MD[/url]

For those not wanting to read old documents the only place the Mustang was superior is above 25,000' and dive speed: The Corsair was faster at all altitudes, had much (750 - 1000'/min) greater climb rate and much greater firepower.

I flew with an old Marine Warrant Officer that had flown Corsairs during the occupation of Japan and would orbit over Mt Fuji waiting for the Mustangs to show up. He said that new pilots usually lost to the Mustang until they got some experience in the F4U, but then pretty much had their way the Mustang.

Burns: one can love more than one plane
Of course, the Mustang saw major action in Europe and the F4U was used more in the Pacific. Both great birds. Different folks were exposed to them in different places and each liked them.

Nieuport 17, with Nungesser or Guynemer. What a machine, and their stories...

The Yak-3 is, to me, an incredibly beautiful warbird. The beginning of the great Normandie-Niemem, too/
And according to Marcel Albert, the Yak-3 was better than the Spit and the P51. So that should settle the debate He never said anything about the Me Bf109g though.

Modern, the M2000. But I am very very biased...

No Corsairs were flying 8-9 hr missions and no P-51s were flying off of carriers, well there was one modified and it did a series of arrested landings and Take Offs.
Both were A/C designed to different Specifications.
51 was easier to fly and fight in from an operating perspective. Corsair had an Auxiliary Blower. It's Supercharger was in the rear of the Crankcase and it had another one bolted to the back of the engine. It had Neutral, Low and High. As you climbed and hit a critical altitude you had to reduce throttle and there was a shift lever on the Throttle Quadrant you would shift to the next Blower Speed. Climb, reduce throttle and shift and repeat. If you kept in high blower and came downhill rapidly with the throttle up you overboost the motor.
The 51 had a 2 speed blower with an Aneroid that would automatically shift for you about 15K.
Both were Great A/C. Had the pleasure to work on both types. Only A/C I've fallen off of was the F4U, jumped up on a dusty wing when a rain shower just started to close the canopy and was a bit of a ride down and off the trailing edge.

I never said that the Mustang wasn't a great war plane and it did have tremendous range. If one took the time to read the report the Navy Department was trying to determine if the P51 could serve some role with shore based units, but while superior for air combat at high altitudes escorting Bombers, it didn't match the Corsair in pure fighter performance.

Don't "ding" on me, those are just the facts as reported by the Navy in 1943.

I don't think the Corsair receives the credit it earned and deserves.

So,
Favorite piston fighter . . . Corsair
Favorite jet . . . A-4 (later versions of Fox and Mike, and of course I'm biased)
Favorite Do-Anything . . . C-130 (Don't quite know how to categorize something that does everything